220-1102 Software Troubleshooting Practice Question
A user reports that their Windows 10 computer freezes randomly and becomes unresponsive for several minutes. The problem began after installing a new graphics driver. Which boot mode should the technician use to roll back the driver?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates choose Safe Mode with Networking (Option B) thinking they need internet access to download a fix, but the question specifically asks for the mode to roll back the driver, which only requires Safe Mode (minimal) to bypass the faulty driver.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Safe Mode
Safe Mode (Option A) loads Windows with a minimal set of drivers and services, bypassing the newly installed graphics driver that is causing the system to freeze. This allows the technician to access Device Manager and perform a driver rollback without the problematic driver interfering. Safe Mode is the appropriate boot mode for driver rollback because it prevents the offending driver from loading, enabling stable system access.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Safe Mode
Why this is correct
Safe Mode loads only the essential Windows drivers and services, with the Microsoft Basic Display Adapter replacing the third-party graphics driver. This bypasses the driver causing the random freezes, giving the technician a stable environment to open Device Manager and uninstall or roll back the problematic graphics driver. It is the correct choice because it directly isolates the faulty component and provides the graphical tools needed for the fix.
- ✗
Safe Mode with Networking
Why it's wrong here
Safe Mode with Networking includes all the minimal drivers of standard Safe Mode but additionally loads network adapter drivers and related services. While it still bypasses the third-party graphics driver, the extra networking components are unnecessary for a graphics driver rollback and could themselves introduce a problematic network driver, adding variables that may prevent a clean, unencumbered startup. For this task, the most minimal environment—plain Safe Mode—is superior to one that re-adds potentially unstable drivers.
- ✗
Safe Mode with Command Prompt
Why it's wrong here
Safe Mode with Command Prompt uses the same minimal set of drivers as regular Safe Mode but replaces the graphical shell with a command-line interface. Although it is possible to remove or roll back a driver using command-line utilities like pnputil or dism, doing so is more complex and error-prone than using the Device Manager GUI in the standard Safe Mode. Since the desired outcome is simply to roll back a graphics driver, the normal Safe Mode interface is sufficient and the command prompt variant is unnecessary.
- ✗
Enable Boot Logging
Why it's wrong here
Boot Logging records every driver loaded during startup to ntbtlog.txt, serving as a diagnostic tool to see the order and success of driver loads. However, it does not prevent the problematic graphics driver from loading, nor does it provide a stable, stripped-down environment in which to access Device Manager and roll back that driver. Because the system may freeze before the log is even written or the log only shows the failure point without offering a recovery action, it is not useful for this repair.
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Key term
Windows 10
Windows 10 is a personal computer operating system developed by Microsoft that combines the familiarity of Windows 7 with the modern features of Windows 8, designed to run on a wide range of devices from desktops to tablets.
Key term
Safe Mode
Safe Mode is a diagnostic startup mode in operating systems that loads only essential drivers and services, allowing users to troubleshoot and fix problems caused by non-critical software or hardware.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1102 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1102 exam.